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The Royal Windsor Tapestry Manufactory, 1876-1890

The Tapestry Descriptions

Introduction to The Royal Windsor Tapestry Works

Index to the Tapestries


8. "ANNE PAGE AND FENTON"

The fifth in a series of eight tapestry panels "The Merry Wives of Windsor", which, with No.1 "Queen Victoria", made a total of nine, gold medal winning, exhibits at The Paris Exhibition of 1878.

Date: 1877-8 (though this tapestry is undated)
Artist: T. W. Hay
Subject: Described in the WE as a love scene between Anne Page and Fenton, this scene illustrates the underplot, the scheme of her father being to marry her to Slender, and her mother tries to marry her to Dr. Caius. Shakespeare did not include the scene depicted, except by inference just before the final curtain after the pair have married at Eton's ancient parish church, which has long fallen into decay. They join the company who " ...are all couched in a pit (dell) close to Herne's Oak", Slender finds he has not married Anne but a postmaster's boy, while Dr. Caius thinking "to take her in green", finds he has married "un garcon", but Anne Page and Fenton, "long since contracted, Are now so sure, that nothing can dissolve them". They walk holding hands, with Fenton's arm about her shoulders, along the path, with the tower of the old church of Eton behind them on the skyline. In front of them a rabbit leaps away into the flowers and undergrowth of Windsor Forest.

A rabbit leaps away into Windsor Forest.

Cartoon: Not known
Size: 6 ft. 3 in. high by 6 ft. 11in., plus blue binding (for hanging) making the overall measurements 6 ft. 5in. by 7 ft. 2in.
Warps: 16 per inch
Colours: The young squire, Fenton, has a handsome crimson hat, and a red tunic, with a brown cape over his shoulder. His breeches are striped blue and grey, above grey stockings. Anne wears a light grey gown, embroidered red along the hem, with light blue striped sleeves, red shoes and a blue bonnet. The forest is russet tones, greys and greens in the late summer evening light to the north-either a late sunset or very early sunrise, with a red tinge to the hazy clouds. There is a variety of woodland and meadow plants, from the tall thistle, pink marjoram, red campions and blue speedwells to the yellow hawkbits, dandelions, and pink sweet briars, and the greens of the bracken and fern under the beech trees.
Border: Similar to "Ye Merrie Wives", a continuous chain of panels, square at the angles, containing sprays of flowers, and similarly at the centres of the sides, and on either side of the centre panels at the top and bottom, with rectangles containing sprays including red gooseberries, lilies, grapes, medlars and plums. The title, "Anne Page & Fenton" is in deep reddish purple on a wide ribbon with a blue background in the central lower panel.
Marks: The Windsor mark of a stylised crown above _I I_ is followed by "H.H. & M.B. N 6". The initials are those of Henri C. J. Henry, the Director, and Michel Brignolas, the weaver/dyer and manager of the Windsor Tapestry Manufactory. N 6 is the tapestry number in the series of 9, including the tapestry portrait of Queen Victoria.
Sale prices: Not known.
Exhibited: Windsor Guildhall, December 1878.
Ownership: Commissioned by Gillow & Co., of Oxford Street, London. Bought complete with the entire decor of the Prince of Wales' dining room in the British Pavilion at the Paris Exhibition 1878 by Sir Albert Sassoon for the dining room of his mansion at 25 Kensington Gore.
References: Furniture Gazette, 26 January and 7 September, 1878
WE, 7 December, 1878
Art Journal, 1879, p.64
The Windsor Express, 9 November, 1878, reported: "OLD WINDSOR TAPESTRY WINS GOLD MEDAL... the award has given tremendous satisfaction to Her Majesty who has now commanded that all the tapestries at the Palace of Holyrood shall be sent to Old Windsor for renovation. Many... are in a bad state of repair, some even falling to pieces."
WT

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